PRESS RELEASE l 18 JANUARY 2012
An urban poor group and an anti-demolition network assailed Wednesday what it calls "poor-bashing" by government and some media men in the wake of the violent San Juan demolition last week.
"The San Juan victims were not only hurt by the literal strikes and kicks by the demolition team members; they were as much abused by the insensitive and misguided statements and commentary made by the government and a number of media members that covered the incident," said Gloria Arellano, secretary-general of Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay).
'Ejercito will pay'
Kadamay, the militant center of urban poor in the country, responded to San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito's "false statement" that the 'professional activists' instigated the violence.
"Does he imply that his constituents are stupid, and are swayed easily by any outsiders?" Arellano asked.
"In fact, it is the residents who militantly defended their homes, with the help of supporters that they invited," Arellano said. "Ejercito must be ashamed that his constituents called for the support from other people rather than from their own local officials?"
The urban poor group underscored how the San Juan solon "made up lies, and childishly blamed the militants to cover up his men's brutality and gross violation of human rights."
The demolition, Arellano noted, has only made the San Juan people regret electing a representative that eventually acts against the interests of his constituents.
"We will make sure that this crime will have its toll on the political career of the Ejercitos, and JV's senatorial bid in 2013," the militant group warned.
Insensitive remarks
Meanwhile, anti-demolition network Alyansa Kontra Demolition (AKD) deplored how some media members reacted "in a very biased way" against the urban poor in the coverage of the San Juan demolition last week.
AKD particularly pinpointed Mike Enriquez, a GMA-7 executive, primetime news anchor and radio commentator for his "insensitive remarks" on air.
Over his radio program after the demolition, Enriquez remarked in Filipino: "They [the residents] think that it is the government’s responsibility to feed them, give them shelter while they do nothing."
"Such a statement lacks critical analysis and is very one-sided, and infuriated quite a number of urban poor listeners," Carlito Badion, AKD convenor, pointed out. "Perhaps unbeknownst to Enriquez, the urban poor are among the most hardworking of Filipinos, but they barely make enough to feed their families, let alone avail of decent housing.
"Instead of making false presumptions about the poor, he should be demanding the government to create job opportunities and increase the wages of workers," Badion added.
The group called on the attention of GMA Network to teach Enriquez "fairness, sensitivity and critical analysis of issues", and demanded an apology from the journalist.
AKD also offered the newscaster and other "unenlightened" journalists a tour of the Montalban (Rizal) relocation sites, so that "he may learn about the tragedy that befell the life of earlier relocatees, which pushed the residents of Corazon de Jesus to use Molotov cocktails as a last resort to defend their homes".
No 'blanket authority'
For its part, the Urban Poor Resource Center of the Philippines, an advocacy institution, reminded the media and the general public that the poor's non-ownership of the land where they settle was no "blanket authority" to evict them, regardless of means.
"What we felt from the general coverage of the San Juan incident is that many commenters are of the opinion that demolition was justified simply because the poor did not own the land," said Jon Vincent Marin, UPRCP spokesperson. "This is a very shortsighted, not to mention dangerous, view that ignores social realities as to how the poor got there in the first place, and at the same time tolerates the use of violence against the poor should they resist."
The UPRCP also urged the media to reflect upon the parallels of their own predicament with that of the urban poor, and view the issue of demolition in a wider social context.
"The culture of impunity that allows the state to use such violence against its own citizens is the same culture of impunity that leads to the killings of journalists and media members," said Marin. "These two issues are hardly divorced. If the powerful are not expected to respect the basic human rights of a whole community of people, how can we expect them to respect the rights of one or two people that speak against them?"
References:
Carlito Badion, AKD convenor (0939.387.3736)
Gloria Arellano, Kadamay Secretary General (0921.392.7457)
Jon Vincent Marin, UPRCP spokesperson (0910.975.7660)
No comments:
Post a Comment